MS HR103

Honors the memory of more than 2,000 mental patients whose bodies were discovered buried on the grounds of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Recognizes that the UMMC property was formerly the site of the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum, established in 1855 to care for the mentally ill during an era of often inhumane treatment.

Notes that of 1,376 patients admitted to the asylum between 1855 and 1877, more than one in five died while the facility endured fires, tornadoes, yellow fever epidemics, and structural challenges.

Documents that the asylum population grew to over 2,000 by 1921, and patients were relocated to a new facility in Rankin County in 1935 due to fire safety concerns with the aging building.

Directs distribution of the resolution to members of the Capitol Press Corps.